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Back in December last year we did an engagement session with Corey and Krista—and their dog, Jake—down here in Lethbridge and just recently we did their wedding.  :)

I know I say a lot of our couples are laid back, but Corey and Krista are the most laid back couple ever!  An hour before their ceremony they still did not have an exact time picked out for it to start!  We were waiting for the marriage officiant and they just said, “I guess when she gets here we’ll start.  It doesn’t matter, as long as we get married some time today”.  It is nice to hang out with such relaxed people.  :)

Krista got ready at the Ramada hotel in Pincher Creek and then they had an outdoor ceremony on a property near Pincher Creek.  It was a beautiful day with blue skies and a bit of a breeze.  The sun was almost directly overhead, which makes for lighting conditions that really separates the men from the boys, so to speak.  Normally I’d have used flash to get better balance on the faces, but this time I just carefully chose my angles to make sure I got the best lighting possible naturally.  The altar was specially made for Corey and Krista by a friend and decorated with flowers.  It looked really nice!

Their reception was in a big marquee tent right next to the ceremony area and we got our favourite wedding favours ever: honey!  This must have been gathered from someone’s farm locally, because it was the best honey I’ve ever had.  Ok, so we have had other nice favours at past weddings, but I happen to like honey.  I’ve already finished the first jar.

A big congrats to Mark and Tanya who had their wedding here in Lethbridge recently. No, I’m not saying when, because then everyone will know how behind I am on updating the blog! Anyhow, they were a really easy-going couple who were very flexible and happy all day. Normally people get a bit frazzled by the end of a wedding—weddings are long days, after all, and pretty intense—but Mark and Tanya were both all smiles the whole time we were there.

They were married at the Lethbridge University ballrooms and the reception was also there later that evening. We started out doing their portraits before the ceremony down around Fort Whoop-Up at Indian Battle Park near the river bottom and then we borrowed them again for a few more quick portraits during the reception as well. It was a beautiful day, with lots of sun—and none of these weird tropical storms we’ve been having lately!

The ballrooms were a fun place for the ceremony and reception, though with black upper walls and ceilings it’s tricky for lighting. Just as well I like challenges. I’d hate to see photos by an amateur in that location!  An uncle of the bride did the ceremony and it was a humourous and personal service with a lot of funny anecdotes from the childhoods of both the bride and groom.

I’m only posting a few photos this week, because I thought it would be cool to just give a taste and create a bit of anticipation.

Congratulations to Panos and Donell! They were married here in Lethbridge at the Ukrainian Orthodox church and Sherri and I were honoured to be their photographers for the day.

Panos, whose name is apparently pronounced to sound similar to Bono—though I think I kept messing it up on the day—and Donell are a great couple who were so easy to work with. They were relaxed and fun and generous. We started out at Reflections hair salon near the old fire hall, which is currently my favourite hair salon to take photos in. It has big windows that let in lots of bright sunlight, which is more flattering than artificial lighting, and the booths where you get your hair done are fairly close together. You always capture more fun moments when the bride and bridesmaids can talk with each other without yelling across the room. There’s a tip if you’re taking notes.

Then I left Sherri with the girls and headed out to take photos of Panos and the groomsmen. As soon as I arrived Panos offered me something to drink and gave me a set of cufflinks. It felt more like I’d popped over for lunch than was working. I surprised the guys by choosing to take their photos in the basement—”Oh, you won’t want to take photos down there”, they said—ha! And then I headed off for more photos of the girls. Donell was going over her vows and laughing with her bridesmaids, which makes it easy to get fun shots!

I’ll say one thing about traditional Greek Orthodox ceremonies: they give you plenty of time to get a bunch of different and interesting images! I actually enjoyed it, even though it was a long ceremony. It was really hot that day, but I like the heat, too.

The reception was catered by Luigis on the north side and the food was excellent. The dessert was the best I have ever had at a wedding so far. I never usually eat sweet stuff and I ate the whole thing. The DJ was Shad, from Sound Barrier Entertainment, and he did a great job of keeping the music and lighting rolling. I gave him a bunch of photos from the wedding day and he was able to project them onto a screen right then and there. The night finished for us with everyone doing Greek dancing, which is super fun to take photos of!

I’ve posted some photos and also a short slideshow at the top. Click on the play button and give it some time to load—it’s short but big.